(Greek: feeling, sensation, perception)

A painful sensory perception as if being stuck with sharp points: In neurology, acanthesthesia is felt as a terribly sharp pain even with a soft touch but the victim feels it as if he or she is being stuck with a sharp object; such as, with a pin or a needle.

The perception or sensory aspect of aphasia or dysphasia which is any disturbance in the comprehension or expression of languages as a result of a brain lesion: The diagnosis of acatamathesia came as a shock to the family; however, it explained the inability of Sally, the mother, to comprehend casual conversation.

1. Absence of the normal sense of physical existence and well-being and of the regular functioning of the bodily organs: Felix was hospitalized so the medical teams could diagnose the acenesthesia of his lower bodily organs.
2. Absence of any feeling of physical existence; a common symptom in many psychiatric conditions: Florence appeared to be in a state of acenesthesia as she described her feeling of not being physically present.

Relating to a sensation of sharp points touching the skin but lacking the perception of pain usually associated with such stimulation: Glenda had an acmesthetic feeling when the point of the needle was put into her arm; so, she didn't feel any pain.

A partial loss of hearing or a reduced sensitivity to sounds: Mr. Smith, the lawyer, found that the acoustic hypoesthesia which Shirley experienced created difficulty in the courtroom when she needed to hear everything that was said.

Abnormal sensations on the skin; usually with the hands and feet: During the healing process after her legs had been burned, Sally experienced frequent episodes of acrodysesthesia which were painful with feelings of tingling, numbness, and even burning pains.

Mark was puzzled by the many acrodysesthesias that he was experiencing in his finger tips which made it barely possible for him to press them together or to touch anything.

Pain in one or more of the bodily extremities; such as, in the hands, fingers, feet, toes, etc.: Mr. Black, the physiotherapist, made a special sock for Nancy to protect her from the acroesthesia she was experiencing in the soles of her feet.

1. Disease marked by attacks of tingling in the outer parts of the body: Dr. Jones, the doctor, who specialized in tropical diseases, was puzzled by the acroparesthesia Norbert had because the symptoms did not match those of any known diseases.
2. Numbness, tingling, and/or other abnormal sensations of the extremities; for example, the fingers, hands, forearms, and toes; usually due to a carpal tunnel syndrome but also from other causes; seen frequently in organic disorders, especially peripheral nerve lesions: There are times when acroparessthesia refers only to those unpleasant sensations that occur without any known demonstrable organic basis.

Consciousness or awareness of physical sensations or perceptions: After the car crash, Greg, the driver, lost his normal aesthesia and was unable to respond to the emergency medical personnel who were trying to rescue him.

aesthesic, esthesic (adjective); more aesthesic, more esthesic; most aesthesic, most esthesic

A reference to the mental perception of sensations: Harriet's aesthetic responses to stimulation were dulled by the pharmacological procedure that was used to allow the surgeon to perform the tonsillectomy or the surgical removal of each tonsil.

If you would like to take self-scoring quizzes over some of the words in this thematic unit, then click on this Aesthesia, Esthesia Quizzes link, or the button, so you can see how much you know about some of these aesth-, esth- words.